Sweat-band for hats



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H. E. WAR D. SWEAT BAND FOR HATS.

No. 474,540. Patented May 10, 1892.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet,' 2.

H. E. WARD.

SWEAT BAND FOB HATS. No. 474,540. PatentedMay 10, 1892.

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SWEAT-BAN D FOR HATS.

SPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 474,540, dated May 10,1892.

Application filed March 26, 1891. Serial No. 386,433. (No model.)

from the inside before it is given the circular To all whom it mayconcern.-

Be it known that I, HERBERT E. WARD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Sweat-Bands for Hats;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled inthe art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference markedEhereon, which form a part of this specificaion.

The object of this invention is to provide for a more perfectventilation, to secure a more accurate lit and with less difficulty thanheretofore, and to obtain other advantages hereinafter referred to.

The invention consists in the improved sweat-band for hats and in thecombination and arrangement of the several parts thereof and in itsattachment to the hat, as herein set forth, and finally pointed out inthe claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters ofreference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several Fig. 3 isa section taken through line a: of

the said Fig. 2. Figs. 4c and 5 are detail edge views, enlarged, of aportion of said skeleton frame, showing certain fasteners or keepersmounted thereon, by means of which the band is secured to the hat; andFig. 6 is a perspective view, enlarged, of one of said keepers. Fig. 7is a plan view showing a modified form of a certain adjusting device,another form of which is shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 8 is a section takenthrough line y of Fig. 7. Fig. 9 represents a plan view of a hat partlysectionized, showing my improved band as it appears when secured to thehat and contracted to its smallest dimensions. Fig. 10 is a sectiontaken through line 2 of Fig. 9, the body of the hat being broken offbelow the band; and Fig. 11 is a section through the band, taken on theline 2'' of Fig. 9. Fig. 12 represents in plan the sweat-band as seen orovate form and with the skeleton frame detached. Fig. 13 is a sectionalview showing a means for fastening the ends of the band to the ends ofthe strips d and d.

In said drawings, Ct indicates the hatbody, b the outside band, and cthe inside or sweat band, which is made of leather or other appropriatematerial and is reinforced on the inside by an elastic and adjustableskeleton frame composed, preferably, of light flat steel-wire strips (1and d, runninglengthwise of the band and cross strips or braces awhichare riveted or otherwise secured to the strips cl and d, and serve tohold the latter equidistant from or parallel with each other, or nearlyso, throughout the length of the band, the edges of the latter beingfolded or turned over upon said strips d and cl beneath the cross stripsor braces,which serve, also, to hold said band in place, as indicated atf in Figs.

10 and 11. Said skeleton frame, ator near the point where the ends ofthe longitudinal strips d and d overlap each other, is provided with anadjusting device by means of which the band can be readily andconveniently increased or diminished in circumference at will to conformto heads of varying sizes and contours. Said adjusting device consistsin the present instance of two strips 9 and h, which cross each otherand are pivotally connected at or near their centers, and at theiropposite ends are pivotally secured to the strips (1 and d throughelongated openings 1' therein, as clearly indicated in Fig. 2. Each ofsaid strips g and his provided with a finger-piece or extension j, oneof which is doubled upon itself to form a spring 7c, at the end of whichis formed a hook or detent Z, Fig. 3, which engages with a rack m,projecting from the connectingstrip h, as also indicated in said Fig. 2,the normaltendency of the spring being to hold said detent in operativeengagement with said rack at any point at which the adjusting device maybe set. spring the detent is thrown out of engagement with the rack, aswill be understood. Said band and skeleton frame, being securedtogether, as above stated, are attached to the hat-body by means ofadjustable keepers 0, Figs. 4:, 5, 6, 9, and 10, which are mounted uponone of the stripsviz., CZWl1lCl1 passes By pressing upon the through aslot oin said keepers, asindicated, the latter being pivotally connectedto the hat-body by means, in the present case, of a double-pronged wire1), which passes through an eye 19, formed upon the keepers and uponwhich the latter work, the prongs being forced through the hat-body andclinched upon the outside thereof beneath theoutside band I), by whichthey are concealed from view, as will be understood upon reference toFig. 10. Thus said keepers have a hinge-like movement and are alsosusceptible of a limited lateral movement upon said strip d, the fold ofthe band being cut away for abouthalf an inch atthe points where theseveral keepers are inounted,as will beunderstood upon referenceto Figs.4, 5, and 9. hen the band is set or adjusted to itslargest size, thekeepers all lie flat against the strip d, as indicated in Fig. 4, andagainst the hatbody, as will be understood, and when it is adjusted toits smallest size said keepers will be perpendicular to the hat body andband, which is the limit of their movement in that direction, asindicated in Fig. 5. Thus it will be seen .that an open space of greateror less dimensions is left between the band and the hat-body all roundfor ventilation throughout the limit of the adjustment, as will beobvious. The number of keepers to a band is not material. As a generalrule, five or six will be sufficient, though more may be employed, ifdesired.

It will be observed by reference to Figs. 6 and 10 that the keepers areprovided with a finger-piece o", by means of which they can be moved oneway or another when desired. Said finger-pieces, as also those of theadjusting device, project slightly below the hatbody and curveoutwardly, following somewhat the curve of the brim of the hat, asindicated in said Fig. 10 and also in Fig. 1. It may be remarked,however, that the fingerpieces of the adjusting device, as well as theratchet or holding device, may be at the opposite ends of the stripsgand 72, ifpreferred, or the modified form of adjusting andholdingdevices shown in Figs. 7 and 8, or any other effective means foradjusting the band may be used withoutdeparting from the spirit of theinvention, and the same is true with respect to the keepers.

The extremities of the sweat-band and of the strips cl and d are securedto one another by means of a suitable clamp or fastener s, Fig. 13,which passes through and around the ends of the said parts and isclinched, so as to prevent the parts from separating. It will also benoticed that the strip 9 of the adjusting device, Fig. 2, is providedwith a semicircular projection t, which serves as a support or rest forone end of the band and prevents it from striking against either of saidstrips and being curled'up or wrinkled when the adjuster is operated toreduce the size of the band.

The operation of the device is as follows: A hat having been selected bya purchaser,-approximating his size, if it bea little too large,

the band is contracted by pressing the fingerpieces of the adjustertoward each other until it fits the head to the satisfaction of thepurchaser, thereby avoiding the necessity and annoyance of trying on alarge number of hats and possibly failing at last in getting asatisfactory fit, as is often the case when the shape of the head isabnormal. Owing to the flexibilit-yof theimproved band and toitselasticity, it will readily conform to the shape of the head. In somecases, owing to some defectin the shape of the head or protuberancethereon, it is desirable that the band shall he as closely as possibleagainst one portion of the hat-bod y and as far from it as possible atanother, in order to secure a satisfactory fit. In such case the keeperlocated at or near the point first named is held down flat against thehat-body while the band is being contracted, as above described, to fitthe head, which being done the keepers and the band will retain theirpositions until the adjustment is changed. Thus it will be seen that bymeans of this improvement a second or an extra band or ring is dispensedwith and a perfectly-fitting hat can readily be secured without anydifficulty, as the adjusting device is intended to have a scope oftwo ormore sizes.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In combination, a flexible sweat-band, a flexible frame carrying thesame, the adj usting means, consisting of the cross-levers between theends of the frame, the holding means for the levers, and the keepers,substantially as described.

2. In combination, the sweat-band, the supporting-frame extending fromthe upper to the lower edge of the band, the keepers, the said framebeing in skeleton form and including the two parallel strips connectedby crossstrips, and the adjusting means between the ends of the skeletonframe, the upper and lower edges of the band being secured about theparallel strips, substantially as described.

3. In combination, the hat-body, the hatband with adjusting meanstherefor, and the keepers pivotally supported to swing toward and fromthe hat-body in the adjustment of the band, substantially as described.

4. In combination, the sweat-band, the flexible frame carrying the same,said frame adj ustable with operating means therefor, and the keepersfor connecting the band with the hat, said keepers having a slidingconnection with the frame, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a sweat-band, a skele ton frame composed of stripsd and d, crossstrips 6, connecting and holding the same substantiallyparallel with each other, an adjusting device consisting of the strips 9and It, the rack and spring-actuated catch or detent, and means forsecuring the several parts to a hatbody, substantially as and for thepurposes set forth.

0. The combination, with a hat-body, of a IIO sweat-hand, a frameSecured to the hand, an

8. The combination, with the sweat-hand and the adjustable frame, of thekeepers for I 5 securing the band and frame to the hat, consisting ofthe plate having the slot for the passage of the frame-strips, and thepronged wire pivoted to the plate.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I 20 have hereunto set my handthis 21st day of March, 1891.

HER BERT E. WARD.

Witnesses:

OLIVER DRAKE, OSCAR A. MICHEL.

